It's just terrible. I want the old one back. I don't see one area that I would call an improvement.
When browsing tires, why do I have to click on the detail page to see the treadware rating? It used to be right there, with a lot more basic information that is gone.
Viewing wheels on a car is so much worse. The old way of clicking on the size you wanted to see was so much better.
Why can't they fit it all in without having to scroll left and right to see everything?
I used to visit that site three to four times a week to just browse around. I have bought many things from them. But now it's not a nice place to spend any time. I'm kinda heartbroken over it.
Just checked it out. Im with you, this is bad. A lot of sites get updated and are so bad now. I dont know what it is, trying to be the Apple of whatever they are selling?
And there is very little information on the tire specs until you click the actual tire. Forget that...
And the ordering part was broken all weekend. I think they were trying to make it more phone/tablet friendly but its just kinda bad.
Seriously? The wheel machine thing dated from 1996. Literally (literally literally, not figuratively literally) 1996, because I remember coding a different version of it in several different languages when it came out just for the fun of it. It's a lot slicker now. It's got favorites, it's got a full screen option, you can still sort by size. Heck, you can set your size then set your weight range and even sort by construction type. You can compare different tires - that's a really nice update, especially if you're not intimately familiar with the three EPS tires in your preferred tire size. The tech info is more accessible.
Looks like it was developed for a screen width of 1280 px. That's a bit odd, as I think the iPad mini width is 1024. But there's a lot of info on that screen.
UTQG ratings are mostly important to auto crossers trying to get the lowest legal number. For the majority of customers, the performance categories are more helpful. And it looks like the "see all available tire sizes" option is gone, which is a shame for those of us who like to browse for the oddball sizes.
If you want to blame someone for the look, blame Google for setting a date for mobile sites. They started taking mobile-friendliness into account on the search ratings a couple of weeks ago, and it may have pushed a couple of sites out before the original release date. I see there's a matching mobile site out there for it. The interface for a little tiny screen means that a full screen version that's related can look a little cartoonish.
People always get bent out of shape when an interface changes, no matter how bad it was and how good the old one is. Any new features are always lost in the initial shock of change. You'll cope. It's also not set in stone, so there might be a slightly different version rolled out that will deal with older tablet screen sizes soon.
Guess who just rolled out a new website to replace the one that was a decade+ old and has had to hear a whole bunch of bellyaching?
Keith Tanner wrote:
Seriously? The wheel machine thing dated from 1996. Literally (literally literally, not figuratively literally) 1996, because I remember coding a different version of it in several different languages when it came out just for the fun of it.
Yes, it was better. It fit on my screen. The full screen doesn't work, it only shows 3/4 of the car and won't let me scroll over. I also couldn't get it to show any other wheels than the ones that were on the screen when I selected full screen.
I don't hate the new site.. but I don't like it. Change for the sake of change is not good, especially when what was there pre-change was already simple to use and very user friendly
agreed^
The new site seems geared toward people who want to see pretty pictures, not charts and specs. At least you can still get the data if you dig.
The wholesale site is unchanged, hope it stays that way.
Eh, i don't out and out hate it. I prefer the old site, but this one works for my purposes. I already know what tires i'm looking for, the only thing i care about is price by the time i start shopping.
I do get irked with sites that make everything HUGE, though. Tons of wasted space. I'm still in my 20s, let me use my young eyes to my advantage.
No real problem so far One thing I wish they'd add that wasn't on the old site either is the ability to see prices while in the Specs or Sizes page so you can quickly see the difference between the price of say a 225/45R16 and a 225/50R16 say ($138 and $141 for a Star Spec)
Don't love it, don't find it to be a particular improvement on the old site, but don't hate it either.
Keith Tanner wrote:
If you want to blame someone for the look, blame Google for setting a date for mobile sites. They started taking mobile-friendliness into account on the search ratings a couple of weeks ago, and it may have pushed a couple of sites out before the original release date. I see there's a matching mobile site out there for it. The interface for a little tiny screen means that a full screen version that's related can look a little cartoonish.
Came here to say this. Expect all websites to have more of a Fisher-Price look to them soon. The old Tire Rack site would've been very "mobile-unfriendly."
I'd only used the new Tire Rack once or twice and I didn't have problems with it, but you've pointed out some things that I didn't notice, like the tread wear being hidden and the "wheel preview" changes.
Eh, I used the old site on my iPhone more than a few times- sure it wasn't optimal but it worked just fine. I generally assume if I'm trying to do something really intensive on a mobile device it may not be as ideal as doing it on a real computer (or even larger mobile device).
The design language of the web is changing, too. Cleaner. That's not necessarily bad.
I use the Tire Rack site as part of my job - it's a reference I hit about a half dozen times a day. I can still find what I need just as quickly. Treadwear ratings are just a click away for any tire that interest me.
I am surprised that it's not responsive in design - those with screens narrower than 1280 px aren't well served. It would be interesting to see how many of those there are, and it would not surprise me to see that change down the road.
Is there any way to view all tire sizes since the update?
Responsive sites piss me off, personally. I hate how they often re-arrange themselves every time i use the zoom feature on my phone, since they rarely have the default sizing anywhere close to my liking.
This site is one of them, actually.
I hate it too, and I haven't even seen it yet. I was somewhat familiar with the old site and thought it worked pretty well.
It's not just the web. I have been on Crutchfield's mailing list for years, and I always liked the organization of their catalogs. Very logical, decks by type, amps, speakers, home audio, etc. Some years ago they "updated" the catalog. Now it's a useless smattering of mostly pictorial information that does nothing to inform the potential buyer about product details and performance.
I attribute the change to marketers courting the ADD generation and playing to the generally uninformed consumer of today. Asinine. Get off my lawn!
MCarp22 wrote:
Is there any way to view all tire sizes since the update?
Not that I've found yet. That was a fun feature.
1988RedT2 wrote:
I hate it too, and I haven't even seen it yet.
I think you've summed up the internet's reaction to anything.
The tread ware ratings really bug me. Before I could see a tire that has a 560 rating. Scroll down or up and compare. Now I have to scroll down or up, click, try to remember what it was, hit the back button, scroll up or down to find the tire I want to compare, click, try to remember what the other tire was, hit the back button and so on.
First world problems.
Or you just click on the "compare" box for each of the tires that interest you, then see them all side by side.
At 560 treadwear, they're all just black and round anyway 
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Just admit it Tanner, your wrong, the old site was better 
"Oh this tire has a 570tw rating, i think i'll buy it instead of this one that has 560tw rating."
Swank Force One wrote:
"Oh this tire has a 570tw rating, i think i'll buy it instead of this one that has 560tw rating."
Am I the only one that searches those tires?
